Fairfax County Begins 30-Year Tree Planting Campaign

Fairfax County’s new tree canopy goal took root today with a campaign to
plant trees on county properties during the next three decades. Up to 400
trees per year will be planted at county facilities for the next 30 years
to reduce pollution and energy costs.

This effort is one step in implementing the 30-Year Tree Canopy Goal
that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors adopted in July. The county
aims to blanket 45 percent of the county with tree cover by 2037. The
goal is one of the most ambitious for any local government in the
metropolitan Washington, D.C., area.

“Planting trees is just one action we must take as part of our response
to global warming,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E.
Connolly. “Trees help curb greenhouse gases, reduce pollution and cut
energy costs. The county is taking the initiative to increase plantings
on its own properties, and we urge all local property owners to follow
our example to help us achieve this new goal.”

Trees make a significant impact on the environment. They remove carbon
dioxide from the air, which is the primary greenhouse gas, and they
absorb ozone and other pollutants. Shade from trees can reduce a home or
building’s cooling costs by 10-50 percent in the summer. Every 1 percent
increase in tree canopy also reduces mid-day air temperatures by up to
2.88 degrees. Mitigating the heat island effect reduces ground-level
ozone during the summertime, helping reduce the risk of Code Red air
quality days.

Once achieved, the canopy goal is expected to save taxpayers money. The
trees when matured should provide $5.3 million of air pollution removal
and $4.7 million of energy conservation every year. The additional canopy
also will have the capacity to absorb more than 10 million pounds of
carbon dioxide annually, which could eliminate the need for $1 million in
greenhouse gas reduction services each year.

To reach its goal, the county and the public will need to plant an
additional 2.6 million trees — or 20,400 acres of new canopy — as well as
maintain existing trees. New trees will be needed because the county
expects to lose 4 percent of its canopy during the next 30 years. This
projected canopy loss is equivalent to seven parks the size of Huntley
Meadows, one of the county’s largest.

The goal also supports the county’s Cool Counties initiative to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, and it also pushes forward the county’s Tree
Action Plan. Since 2003, the board has implemented more than $6 million
worth of projects and programs to address air quality and global climate
change.

Fairfax County is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of
disability in all county programs, services and activities. To request
this information in an alternate format, call the Office of Public
Affairs at 703-324-3187, TTY 711.